New Year celebrations and the occult

As in the rest of the world, the New Year is welcomed in the Philippines with a big bang.

Indeed, New Year celebrations are rich with many practices and traditions that Filipinos can truly be proud of. Unfortunately, some of them, unbeknownst to many, are clearly against the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Some of the things that many of us are interested in particularly around this time of the year are:

Horoscopes

Astrology (not to be confused with astronomy)

Consulting Psychics

Feng Shui

Palm Reading

Tarot Cards

Crystal Balls

I-Ching

Seances

Crystallomancy

These are things that are considered “abominations to the Lord” and are violations of the first commandment: Thou shall have no other God before me.

The following is an interesting article from the Ohio Spiritual Warfare Center’s website:

…………………………………………….

WHAT THE CHURCH SAYS

The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” deals with this subject in the section on the first commandment (You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me) under the title “Divination and Magic.”

2115. God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of Providence for whatever concerns the future, and giving up all unhealthy curiosity about it. Improvidence, however, can constitute a lack of responsibility.

2116. All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future.[Cf. Deut 18:10 ; Jer 29:8 .] Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone.

2117. All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others – even if this were for the sake of restoring their health – are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone, or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons. Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity.

WHAT IF I DO THESE THINGS?

At this point you may be wondering what all the fuss is about. “How can these things be so bad, and what can happen to me?” you might ask. In fact, you may know someone who has played the Ouija board, has been going to psychics for years, reads their daily horoscope, etc., and who has experienced no ill effects. Perhaps you yourself have done these things. You may argue that this proves that we are wrong and you are right – that there is nothing but myth surrounding this whole issue of ‘demons’ and ‘devils.’ We in the deliverance ministry, however, look at it this way: You, and people like you, are (for now, at least) fortunate.

It may surprise you to learn, however, that the people who practice these forbidden things are not “out of the woods” just yet. Sometimes it can take many years for problems to develop. Sometimes problems will not develop at all. Sometimes the problems start with the individual’s children, perhaps even after the children are grown and have families of their own. We will talk about this in a moment when we speak of generational curses and hauntings, but first we will give a few samples of what these “harmless games” have done for those who have wittingly or unwittingly “played” them.

Can you imagine waking up in the middle of the night after having your bed covers ripped from atop of you? Or, how about having your pillow snatched from under your head while you sleep? Or, can you imagine being pushed down a staircase by an invisible force? All of these things, and many more, can and do happen in violent hauntings that are the result of occult involvement. Here are some other examples:

Being bitten

Being slapped

Being punched

Being thrown

Objects hurled through the air

People being hit by flying objects

Fires mysteriously starting in the home

Drywall being torn out in chunks

Beds shaking and ‘jumping’ up and down

Heavy objects thrown or moved (i.e., dressers, tables)

Doors slamming shut

Seeing black shapes

Hearing voices

Hearing growling

…. There are many more, and some far more terrifying and brutal than what we have chosen to list here.

… These “games” are deadly serious; not only for you, but also for your children, and potentially their children and so on through many generations.

Generational Curses and Hauntings

God punishes sin. This is a fact. Many do not realize, though, that this punishment can extend to our children and beyond – especially when we are dealing with things that are ABOMINATIONS in God’s sight. Consider the following passage from Exodus:

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord , the Lord, the compassionate and
gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-8)

God is so Holy and sin is so offensive to Him – so much so that the sins of the father fall not only on the father, but on his progeny. Is it any wonder, then, why generational hauntings and curses are a reality?

Yet, God is also merciful – He is mercy itself – and will deliver those who are generationally haunted and cursed if they but turn to Him and ask forgiveness for their sins, and the sins of their ancestors, and decide to live a holy life pleasing to Him.

“But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord ‘s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.” (Psalm 103:17)

“And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him” (Luke 1:50)

If you want to remain in God’s mercy, and if you want to bring blessings on your children, then choose to live a life pleasing to God. If you have engaged in occult practices at any point in your life, you need to repent. If you are Catholic, you need to confess these sins to a priest and receive absolution. It is also important to reclaim ground claimed by Satan by our involvement in these things.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Deliverance counselors and professionals in this field resoundingly agree: Divination and involvement in the occult is one of the more common causes of extraordinary demonization – both of persons and of places. If you do not want to be plagued by the enemy, don’t play in his sandbox. If you do, you will get sand between your toes.

In this page we have listed several concrete examples of occult practices and what can happen to those who dabble in them. These are only a few of the things that can cause demonization even when one has done them only out of curiosity. A playful and innocent indulgence at a Carnival can potentially cause years of nightmare.

Another interesting phenomenon that we have heard from some individuals seeking to justify their actions is along these lines, “Well, this person is not a ‘psychic’. He/she is a Christian and lives a very holy life.” Brothers and sisters, believe us when we say that the Gifts of the Spirit, given by God for the building up of the Body of Christ (the Church) are not powers that we can turn on and off. They are driven by the will of God – not ours. A person who claims that they give psychic readings from God on demand is not of God. They are either charlatans or their power comes from the enemy.
…………………………………………….

Therefore, fellow Filipinos, let us examine our practices in celebrating the new year.

May this occasion be an opportunity to renounce all that is evil in our lives and NOT TO INVITE THE DEVIL TO RUN OUR LIVES.